Kristen RemingtonChannel 2 News
Elizabeth Cruz works long hours coaching the Spanish Springs High School dance team. As a dancer herself, she knows a good routine requires dedication, practice and, perhaps, most importantly, the ability to remember the choreography.
Elizabeth is sensitive to that, however, especially off the dance floor. At just 23-years-old, she is already experiencing the real pain of memory loss. "My Dad recently got diagnosed with Dementia/Alzheimer's. He's only 51, so it's young onset."
After losing her mom to cancer a few years ago, Elizabeth and her sister became their father's primary support. They worried when they started noticing changes in him. "Waking up every morning and seeing a family member you've known closely just start acting differently...It's the little things. Forgetting appointments is a big one, forgetting to take pills in the morning. Sometimes he forgets to eat dinner."
She says it is painful to watch the disease slowly take her father. "It breaks your heart. It really does."
Few people her age understand. So, Elizabeth sought support from the Alzheimer's Association, where there are groups to help her cope. According to Dori Ward, with the organization, there is a real need for these support groups. It's a safe place for people to come together and share, receive information about this disease process and also know they're not alone in this journey."
With some 9,000 Northern Nevadans affected by Alzheimer's, this organization works to raise money not only for support groups, but for care and research as well. So, hopefully one day Alzheimer's will be a distant memory for people like Elizabeth, who can instead, just focus on doing what she loves.
Elizabeth and her dance team will be walking to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association Saturday, September 24th at 10 a.m. at the Sparks Marina. The Northern Nevada Walk to End Alzheimer's is free, but participants are encouraged to raise funds.
For more information, visit www.ALZ.org/walk.
